Research
Greater male variability may help explain persistent gender gaps in hiring, study suggests
PsyPost · By Eric W. Dolan ·
The Brief
- A new computer simulation study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology examines persistent gender gaps in hiring.
- Even when men and women earn the same average score on a job test, greater variability in men's scores can tilt hiring toward men.
- The tilt occurs whenever employers screen out most applicants.
Why it matters
Hiring gaps can persist even when average test performance is equal, so employers and researchers may need to look beyond mean scores when judging how selection tests affect men and women.
Who’s affected
- researchers in industrial-organizational psychology
- employers and HR professionals who use screening tests
- #gender gap
- #hiring
- #test scores
- #simulation
- #industrial psychology
Even when men and women earn the same average score on a job test, differences in how widely their individual scores spread out can tilt hiring toward men whenever employers screen out most applicants. A new computer simulation study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology…